by Taylor Fraze
Troy continued its season this past weekend with a conference series against Southern Miss. This was the first time these two schools met as conference foes since this is USM’s first season in the Sun Belt.
Troy entered the series with a record of 19-7 and 3-3 in conference play. Southern Miss entered with a 14-9 record and 3-3 in conference play. Troy would end up losing the series 1-2, with the only win coming from a Shane Lewis walk-off home run. Troy gained its 20th win of the season.
The series began on Friday, March 31. Troy’s six-game win streak was on the line in game one against the Golden Eagles.
The game started off close with each team pitching and hitting well. Neither team scored in the first inning, but Southern Miss would break the stalemate in the second.
Reece Ewing hit a double in the top of the second inning to put himself in scoring position. Ewing would score on a Troy error to put the Golden Eagles up 1-0. The game would then stall out as neither team was able to break the opposing team’s defense.
It was not until the top of the eighth inning that a team would score. Southern Miss’ Matthew Etzel was walked by Troy pitcher Brady Fuller with two outs on the board. This began the offensive breakthrough for the Golden Eagles.
One batter later, Southern Miss had a runner in scoring position on third base. Slade Wilks hit a home run off Fuller to put the Golden Eagles up 4-0 in the top of the eighth inning. This deficit would prove too much to overcome, but William Sullivan hit a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to avoid the shutout.
Troy lost game one of the series 4-1. Pitcher Brady Fuller was credited with the loss bringing his record to 2-3 on the year. Fuller finished the game with six strikeouts. Pitcher Kristian Asbury had four strikeouts in relief of Fuller late in the game.
The second game of the series started Saturday, April 1. Much like the first game of the series, Wilks opened scoring for the Golden Eagles with a two-run homer in the top of the first.
In the top of the third inning a Trojan error allowed two runs to be scored by Southern Miss, putting Troy down 4-0. Things were not looking good for the Trojans who exhibited a stale offense, and the defense was not able to stop Southern Miss.
Logan Ross entered in relief for pitcher Ben Thompson in the top of the third inning in hope to spark a Trojan comeback. In the bottom of the third, that comeback began. Brooks Bryan hit a solo home run to right field to get the Trojans on the board. The score remained at 4-1 until the bottom of the sixth inning. Kyle Mock hit a solo home run to center field to bring the score to 4-2 Southern Miss.
Zack Fruit entered the game in relief of Ross in the top of the seventh. Fruit got three Southern Miss batters in a row out to let the Trojans escape the seventh inning. Fruit continued his stellar pitching in the eighth inning getting three more outs and not allowing a single run.
The Trojan offense came alive in the bottom of the eighth inning. Shane Lewis recorded an RBI after Ethan Kavanagh scored on his single up the middle of the field. Donovan Whibbs scored on a Caleb Bartolero hit that would tie the game at 4-4.
This game would go to extra innings as neither team could score to put the game away. In the bottom of the 10th inning, outfielder Shane Lewis hit a walk-off home run to complete the Trojan comeback 5-4.
The final game of the series did not go in Troy’s favor as they lost 13-3. Troy went up 3-0 in the top of the first inning after a leadoff homer from Kole Myers, but the offense would go stagnant the rest of the game. Southern Miss scored 13 straight runs to win the series 2-1.
Troy’s record on the year is now 20-9 with a 4-5 conference mark. The Trojans continue their season Tuesday, April 4, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, against the Alabama. Troy then begins a three-game series against Arkansas State in Jonesboro, Arkansas on Thursday, April 6.
